adanvdo aninoquisi
by jedlee07
Summary: A change in someone's life coincides with a change in the night time sky. title is spirit stars roughly translated into cherokee. changed my penname from surrenderedtochrist
1. Chapter 1

**The title is pronounced ah-da-nuh-doe ah-knee-no-kwi-see. It's a rough translation of "spirit star" to the Cherokee language, via an online dictionary.**

It had been an extremely hot summer in Atlantis. Even the Athosians found the high temperatures unusual. Adding to the discomfort, the city's air conditioning had broken down weeks before and it was taking a very long time to fix it.

Even the nights were hot. Much of the personnel could be found outside after dark, for the heat indoors was close to unbearable. A certain group could be found on the same balcony each night, in a less-popular area of the city. There always seemed to be a light breeze near that balcony, one that did not reach the rest of the city.

Each night found Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Colonel John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex on that balcony. They would look at the stars and moon, listen to the sounds of the ocean, or talk.

John's team was scheduled to go on a reconnaissance mission the next day. They would return the day after that. In a way, Elizabeth didn't want them to go; she greatly enjoyed her time each night with them and was not looking forward to even one night without their company.

"You know, we've been looking at these stars all summer now, and even before that. Have you ever noticed that, besides the moon, there isn't one star that's brighter than another," John said, breaking the comfortable silence that had occurred.

"Actually, the moon isn't a star, it's-" McKay began.

"Rodney, shut up!" John snapped.

"I believe what the Colonel meant, Rodney, is that there doesn't appear to be a north star or anything like on earth. No star appears brighter than the others," Elizabeth supplied.

"Exactly," Sheppard confirmed.

Silence fell once more over the group. Finally John got up.

"Well, as much as I'd rather stay out here all night, we should probably get some sleep before our mission tomorrow."

The others agreed and said goodnight before returning to their quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Late the next night. . .**

Elizabeth stood in the control room looking worriedly at the gate. Sheppard's team had left for their mission fourteen hours earlier. They were supposed to have checked in four hours ago. Elizabeth was concerned, but knew that the team could have just forgotten what time it was, or have gotten lost or caught up in something (you know how Rodney can get when he finds something interesting), or-

She knew that John would not have let any of those things happen, but she was still worried. She was going to send Major Lorne and a team of marines through the gate, but that had to wait for light. It was dark on the planet as well as in Atlantis. As soon as morning came they would dial up the gate and see what had become of their top team.

Elizabeth told the night shift to inform her immediately of any gate activity, via the radio. She then left the control room and began walking the halls. Her mind was so filled with thoughts of worry that she did not even realize where her feet were taking her. She looked out before her, shocked to see she was at the balcony, their balcony.

Only, something was different. When she looked up at the sky, she noticed that clouds must have appeared, for no stars were visible. And even more noticeable, the breeze that had been present every night that summer was gone. Elizabeth became very unsettled at this, and felt the bad feeling sink to her stomach. She knew something was wrong and couldn't help but think that it had something to do with Sheppard and his team. She took a deep breath and went back inside.

Major Lorne and his team would be through the gate as soon as it was light on the planet. She would tell them to be extra cautious; no one knew what had gone wrong or what awaited them there. Suddenly Elizabeth felt as if the dark held too many unknowns. The little sleep she got that night occurred with the light on.


	3. Chapter 3

"Unauthorized incoming travelers!" one of techs shouted just two hours after Major Lorne's team had gone through the gate to the planet Sheppard had been to. Elizabeth ran out from her office to the control room.

"Receiving Major Lorne's IDC, ma'am," the tech informed her upon her arrival.

"Lower the shield." The technician complied to her curt order.

Elizabeth ran down to the top of the stairs in the gate room. As the seconds passed without anyone coming through, Elizabeth held her breath; she was pretty sure everyone was at that point. Then the tech called to her.

"We're receiving an audio transmission, Doctor." Elizabeth nodded and made her way back to the control room. She signaled the tech to patch her through and he nodded when she was connected. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"This is Dr. Weir."

The transmission came through slightly more garbled than usual.

"This is Major Lorne. Ma'am, you're not going to like this. It looks like Colonel Sheppard and his team made it through the gate okay and began looking around. We were able to follow their tracks until they came to a stop about two and a half miles from the gate." Lorne paused and Elizabeth stepped in.

"Their tracks disappear, Major?"

"No, ma'am. That's where, ah….it's really not good ma'am."

Elizabeth was feeling worse at the Major's hesitation.

"What is it you're not telling me, Major?"

Lorne took a deep breath that was too shaky when let out. Elizabeth sat down for good measure.

"It looks like they were ambushed. They seem to have been outnumbered five, maybe six to one. They had no chance, ma'am."

There was more hesitation. It was obvious Major Lorne did not want to have to say his next words.

"They must have killed about a quarter of their attackers, before-" Lorne cleared his throat. "We'll be bringing their bodies back with us ma'am. I'm sorry I don't have any better news for you."

Elizabeth sucked in her breath, the news hitting her like a punch to her gut.

"Come home soon, Major. Weir out."

"Lorne out."

Elizabeth could not believe what she had just heard. Sheppard and his team were dead. It couldn't be.

That night Elizabeth went off to be alone. She once again found herself at the balcony without realizing she had been walking that way. She had no intention of being there tonight, or any other night for that matter. That balcony held good memories of the summer. Now she would find ghosts there as well.

She was just about to leave when something stopped her. The breeze that had been missing last night was there now, but it seemed to hold something more. It made her pause in her steps. She stood still and felt the wind wrap around her. It whispered to her, seeming to say "It will all be okay, Elizabeth. We'll always remain here in Atlantis. Our hearts are here, with our people. Please don't be sad all the time. Just remember the good times."

The wind blew her hair around, tickling her neck and face. She smiled as tears fell from her eyes and she looked up to try and keep more from falling. That was when she noticed what was different about the sky. The stars were out this night, but they were different. She couldn't figure out what it was, but then a memory from only days ago played in the back of her mind.

John had mentioned that there were no stars brighter than any of the others. Yet, as Elizabeth looked up at the night sky, she noticed four stars that, placed directly over the city, shined brighter than any of the others. Elizabeth couldn't help herself but chuckle slightly. Some could say it was just her imagination, but Elizabeth was sure that those four stars were in some way connected to, or brought to her by her four fallen friends.

Years later, Elizabeth returned to the balcony on the anniversary of the team's death as she had done every year. She looked up to the sky and smiled as she saw those four stars shining just as brightly as ever. The presence of her four friends, watching over their beloved city and their people were sure to remain there forever.


End file.
